November 3, 2012 (San Diego) -- The East Coast was battered by Sandy and damage has been spectacular. This is on the other side of the country, and many of us in sunny San Diego may want to believe that we are immune. Or rather that the only risks we face are Earthquakes and Wild Fires. Well, first off, San Diego is not immune to Hurricanes. The last major storm to hit this town was in 1858.

Moreover, with Climate Change the storm tracks are slowly moving north, so yes, San Diego is theoretically already in storm territory. Regardless, you should be ready for a disaster for one simple reason. Government authorities have been warning for years that people need to be ready to be on their own for seventy two hours. This is a general civil defense recommendation not just limited to the United States; speaking as a former disaster manager in another country I will actually translate some of what this preparation looks like.

I will also break into you need to work on this now, you can work on this later, but do not forget about it. This is the first order of things: FOOD AND WATER.

Have enough food at hand, that needs no cooking, for three days. Here are a couple lists for two people that do not require you to cook.

1.- Four cans of tuna, six energy bars, chips, one can opener.

2.- Two cans of wieners, crackers, two boxes, a large bottle of peanut butter, nut bars, four of them just to have some to spare.

3.- Two cans of cream of chicken soup, can be eaten cold, two cans of sardines, crackers, chips, and a two cans of beans.

This is actually a little more than seventy two hours, and it is far from luxurious, but will keep you fed.

It goes without saying, have some paper plates and disposable cutlery just in case you can't wash your dishes and cutlery.

Alternatively you could go get a nice backpack that has all the essentials at the Home Depot. Realize, if you have food allergies those food rations might be problematic. Or you could get MREs. These are very much calorically dense, and again think about food allergies. If you have no issues like that. those backpacks are perfect to have in a vehicle at all times. Just remember the water in them is shelf stable for only five years. So do add a tag with the date to them and plan on changing it.

Water" have six gallons of it at home. Whether you fill them at home before the storm hits, or have then store bought, it is a gallon per person per day, for drinking only. Remember, just like with the food, it needs to be cycled. My rule is, at the three month point, I use it to make coffee. Oh and since we live in quake country, you should have them at home anyways.

Writer, blogger, journalist, based in San Diego. Started doing this with Occupy and has grown from there.
As a trained historian I was struck by Occupy, which will be considered an important moment in US History, at leaset in my opinion.